Adoption Date: November 12, 2012 / Revision Date(s): / Page 1 of 3
SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY
Purpose
Inola Public Schools (IPS) recognizes the importance of electronic tools and social networks as communication and e-learning tools. When used appropriately, these tools can significantly enhance IPS teaching and program effectiveness. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance and expectations for all IPS students, staff and patrons regarding the creation and use of emerging electronic tools used to facilitate collaboration and communication for both professional and personal use. These tools include but are not limited to, websites, text messages, instant messages, blogs, online bulletin boards, video and photo sharing sites, wikis, social networks, and virtual worlds.
Permissions
Employees of IPS are responsible for the material they publish online as well as the messages sent via computers and wireless telecommunication devices. Any conduct that negatively reflects upon the District or consists of inappropriate behavior on the part of an employee may expose that employee to disciplinary action up to and including discharge. Inappropriate behavior is defined as any activity that harms students (including, but not limited to, demeaning statements or physical/emotional threats), compromises an employee’s objectivity, undermines an employee’s authority or ability to maintain control of students, contains sexual content, advocates the use of alcohol or drugs, or is illegal. While you are not responsible for any inappropriate material that might be sent to you, you are responsible for anything you forward on or subsequently post (whether you created the information or not). Please remember that all material passed through the school computer system is archived and retrievable.
Expectations of Staff
District employees are role models and must exemplify ethical behavior in their relationships with students, patrons, and other staff members. Online activity, including personal online activity, is public and is therefore a reflection on IPS as an organization. Employees should exercise good judgment and common sense, maintain professionalism, and address inappropriate behavior or activity discovered on these networks.
While the District encourages open communication both internally and externally in all forms, communication should not demean the environment. Constructive criticism, both privately and publicly, is welcome; however, harsh or continuous disparagement is discouraged. Material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, hateful, or embarrassing to another person or entity may not be posted. If a public communication would impair the employee’s ability to amicably work with IPS colleagues, negatively affect the employee’s professional reputation and effectiveness as an employee with colleagues, students, parents or patrons, or damage the reputation of IPS or any affiliated organization, the action is inappropriate and in violation of this policy.
A.Professional Use
1.The line between professional and personal relationships can become blurred; therefore, District employees should exercise discretion and maintain professionalism when communicating with students via computers or wireless telecommunication devices. Employees should limit this type of
SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY (Cont.)
communication with students to matters concerning a student’s education or extra-curricular activities for which the staff member has assigned responsibility. The District considers an employee’s use of any electronic media for the purpose of communicating with a student or a parent to be an extension of the employee’s workplace responsibilities. Accordingly, the board expects school personnel to use professional judgment and appropriate decorum when using any social media in this fashion.
2.District employees are prohibited from engaging in private exchanges with students, and should only communication with groups or in such a manner that the communication can be publicly viewed. If the communication involves medical or academic privacy matters and can only be sent to an individual student or parents – it is required that the message be carbon copied to the Athletic Director and/or the school principal. **
3.Externally communicating any confidential information or information related to IPS not intended for public dissemination is always forbidden and may be grounds for immediate termination and legal action. Public information will be released through the Office of the Superintendent.
4.District personnel must respect copyright and fair use guidelines when posting material on social network sites or downloading material (including, but not limited to books, pictures, music, movies, and television shows), even those websites used and accessed for educational and classroom purposes.
B.Personal Use
1.Personal use of social media and other social networking activities should be done outside of the work day unless online activity has been assigned to an employee and is related to an employee’s scope of practice at IPS. Use of an employee’s personal social media account to discuss school business with students and parents is prohibited.
2.IPS employees may not use a personal social networking site to discuss students or fellow employees. Employees may not submit or post confidential or protected information about IPS, its students, alumni or employees on any social networking sites.
3.School personnel may not list students as “friends” on networking sites, unless the parent (if the student is under 18) or the student (if the student is 18 or over) has provided the student’s building administrator with written permission to do so.
Employees who engage in any of the above-referenced prohibited behaviors are subject to the possibility of penalties, including dismissal from employment, for failure to exercise good judgment in e-communication conduct.
**Exceptions to item A.2:
1)This rule obviously does not include communication with your own children or relatives that are enrolled.
2)Employees are also allowed to communicate with friends of their own children, without having to carbon copy an administrator, as long as the communication is appropriate and does not violate any other part of this policy.
SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY (Cont.)
3)If individual e-communication is an integral part of a class (e.g. Newspaper class, Yearbook class), with prior administrative approval, the teacher may include that statement on their syllabus as long as parent signatures are required. They would then not be required to carbon copy every communication to an administrator. Again, the communication must not violate any other part of this policy.
Expectations of Students
As a public institution of education, IPS supports and encourages students’ rights to freedom of speech, expression and association, including the use of electronic tools and social networks. Students are responsible for complying with the District’s Student Code of Conduct at all times, which includes online activity. Students will be held
accountable for the content of their electronic communications, and failure to abide with this and all other policies applicable to students may result in disciplinary action. Electronic communication is prohibited, whether or not the communication originated at school or with school equipment, if the communication is specifically directed at students or school personnel and concerns harassment, intimidation, or bullying at school.
In addition to those behaviors prohibited in the Student Code of Conduct, making demeaning statements, physical/ emotional threats to another person(s), and engaging in any other behavior that can be considered cyber-bullying is unacceptable. Illegal behavior is subject to punishment as appropriate and available to the District. Students who engage in cyber-bullying also risk civil and/or criminal charges and/or lawsuits that may be filed against them by their victim(s) family. Whenever necessary, the District will cooperate with the Cyber Crimes Units of local law enforcement agencies.